A Comprehensive School
Health (CSH) program seeks improvement of student’s health and well-being to ensure
academic success, while developing and maintaining a healthy, productive life style. Based
on a nationally recognized model, the Navajo Comprehensive School Health Initiative
(NCSHI) incorporates eight components to create a comprehensive program: emotional and
mental wellness; family, school, & community partnership; staff health promotion;
nutrition; safe and healthy environment; health education; health services; physical
activity. Unique to the Navajo program is the recognition of the root system and it’s
important impact on Navajo children even before formal education begins. One monitor of school’s progress towards a successful CSH program are “Component Sheets”. Annually, participating schools complete a survey for each of the eight components. As with any self-reported assessment the results are somewhat subjective or might not fully capture a school’s efforts, depending on who completes the form. Ideally the information is provided by the person most engaged in that component, for example, the cafeteria manager would complete the food service sheet, the nurse would complete the health services sheet, a teacher completes the health education sheets, and so forth. However, in many schools the School Wellness Coordinator (SWC) provides all the information for all the components. SWCs often change from year to year which might impact the perception of a school’s progress or lack of. Component sheets are useful in program planning and as a snap shot assessment, but should not be considered a complete program evaluation.
This report provides component sheet responses beginning with school year ending 1999. The survey format provided for levels of accomplishments from 1 – 5, 1 being the lowest level to 5 being the highest. Questions were meant to assess schools’ level in.